Maybe it’s me but I wouldn’t take the strategy with a financial aid officer of “we want her to get through without loans”. There are tens of thousands of kids studying at these institutions and peer institutions who have loans. Their parents didn’t want them to have loans either- but that was the only way for their kid to get a college education.
I’d stick to the “This is our first choice college but we are struggling to make it affordable” and see what happens (being ready to forward the other financial aid offers if necessary.) Let them sweeten the pot. But it’s sort of insulting to the financial aid team- who have just completed the packages for thousands of kids which indeed have loans- to suggest that YOUR kid is the only one who can’t take out loans.
Nobody WANTS to borrow. But that’s reality for a very large percentage of families trying to educate their kid. And although I haven’t looked at the grad school statistics recently, the percentage of kids who borrow for grad school is very high (I think higher than undergrad) again, because that’s reality for most people. Lawyers pay back their loans. Physicians pay back their loans. High School chemistry teachers pay back their loans. And Physical Therapists pay back their loans. That’s just how it works.
@intparent@blossom Thank you for your advice. In my previous post I was more explaining the “why” to those reading the thread rather than discussing how I would approach it with the university. I agree.
I think keeping it simple and factual would be the way I would approach it. Explain we are in the process of making our final decision and that we have each of the FA packages in. That Purdue etc. are less expensive, OU is her first choice, however, cost is important to us. Would there be anything they might be able to do to make the decision easier? If they request it we can send them copies of the other FA packages.
Does this sound like an appropriate approach if it becomes necessary?
Yes- this sounds like the right approach. OU is her first choice; there are other schools which have a lower ticket price for your family but your D would love to be able consider OU as a serious contender given how much she loves the program and how much she is prepared to contribute to the OU community if lucky enough to attend (most people forget that part)/
I would add the phrase that you are hoping they could do a review of her financial aid. I will say that I think state universities are less likely to budge than smaller colleges, but you have nothing to lose by asking. Is she in state for any of the colleges?
I did it with S12 (and I did it - not him - and I did it by email).
It can’t hurt to ask. I phrased it much as you are considering - School A is his first choice and feels like the perfect fit he’s excited to be in the honors program etc but it’s very difficult for us because School B has offered a package that we can afford but School A just isn’t there, he’d definitely attend if School A could help us out here. Or something to that effect. They asked for his other offer, I scanned it and emailed it, they matched it.
Usually admissions office awards merit, FA office need based aid. I spoke to several people in each office several times, and they transferred me back and forth.
Well it looks like there will be no need to make the financial call. We were able to see her FA award on her OU account. It looks like OU would be $194 per year more expensive than Purdue. She has more scholarships and fewer grants at OU so unless something unforeseen happens she will be a Bobcat! Thank you all for your responses.